Recipe: John Besh's Louisiana Speckled Trout Amandine

On my recent trip to New Orleans, I had the pleasure of tasting some incredible food, from classic po' boys to quite elegant, Bayou-inspired cuisine. My first night there a whole gaggle of food journalists gathered at Chef John Besh's restaurant, Lüke, a brasserie-style place with all the brasserie trimmings and a menu that drops serious hints of Louisiana cooking.

It seemed all the locals were ordering Chef Besh's Speckled Trout Amandine, so I hopped on the bandwagon. This is a great example of a really simple dish that's easy to prepare but has such a unique flavor that it tastes like more effort went into it. The keys are fresh fish and a very hot skillet. Oh, and comfort with large amounts of butter. The recipe is below the jump.

Season trout fillets with salt, pepper, and Creole seasoning. Dredge trout in flour and shake off excess. Then place trout in buttermilk, and again in flour; shake off excess. Place fish in pan with hot oil and cook on both sides until completely brown, about 5-7 minutes per side. If trout are thick and not completely cooked throughout, finish them in preheated oven, cooking for a few minutes.

To another sauté pan over medium-high heat, add butter. When butter has completely melted and begins to brown slightly on the sides, add almonds, lemon juice, and parsley. Continue to move butter around in pan until almonds have browned, about 3-4 minutes. Season sauce with salt and remove from heat.

Place each trout fillet on a plate and spoon amandine sauce liberally over top.